Veiled Moon
by Spunky0ne
Summary: On what was to be the happiest day of his life, Ichigo loses the love of his life, Byakuya in a horrible accident. But not all is as it seems, and soon he finds himself on the trail of an old enemy, working desperately to learn if Byakuya could have been abducted instead…yaoi, mpreg…Ichigo/Byakuya, Aizen/Byakuya non-con, Aizen/Orihime non-con, Renji/Rukia, Kurushimi/Tetsuya
1. Shadowed Star

**Veiled Moon**

 **By Spunky0ne**

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 **Darn it! I hadn't planned to start anymore new stories for a while, but someone put this bug in my mind and it wouldn't go away. But, not to worry, I have cleaned out a few stories that were in early chapters, had very little following and that I had long ago lost interest in, so that my total number of stories in progress is not increasing. I think it's a good tradeoff, especially in this case. Those of you who have read me for a while know that one of the things I like to do to stretch my limits is to take a story with one pairing and write a story with the same underpinning, but a different pairing. Different pairing = vastly different story. So, I have taken the basic skeleton of Silver Moonwolf (Byakuya is abducted by Sosuke Aizen on his wedding night) and I have employed the Ichigo/Byakuya pairing instead of Renji/Byakuya. There may be a few echoes of Silver Moonwolf, but this will be a completely different story that I am sure you will enjoy.**

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 **On what was to be the happiest day of his life, Ichigo loses the love of his life, Byakuya in a horrible accident. But not all is as it seems, and soon he finds himself on the trail of an old enemy, working desperately to learn if Byakuya could possibly have been abducted instead…yaoi, mpreg…Ichigo/Byakuya, Aizen/Byakuya non-con, Aizen/Orihime non-con, Renji/Rukia, Kurushimi/Tetsuya**

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 **Prologue: Shadowed Star**

Byakuya stood quietly in his dressing area, looking into the mirror as Torio stripped away his yukata and began to lay the expensive folds of his wedding kimono around his pale, lovely form. A creamy white creation with sprays of pink sakura dancing up one breast, over his shoulder and down the back, it had taken his tailor months to make by hand. Kuchiki Torio's practiced hands moved with perfect confidence, slowly setting the pieces in place and transforming his already handsome cousin and clan leader into an almost painful beauty.

"Ichigo will pass out when he sees you in this," Byakuya's attendant said appreciatively, turning the ends of the tie and knotting it perfectly, "It's…hard to believe this is all happening, Byakuya-sama."

"It is hard for me to believe as well," Byakuya mused, one slender hand sliding down to touch his slim abdomen for a moment.

 _And I have the most beautiful of surprises to reveal tonight, when we give our wedding gifts to each other…_

He looked up, blinking and pulling his hand away from the area as he sensed Ichigo outside, in the bedroom.

"Ichigo, what are you doing here! You are not allowed to see me before the wedding," Byakuya hissed softly, "Do not come back here. You will be extremely sorry if you take one more step!"

"Take it easy, I'm not gonna peek," Ichigo laughed, "I just came to say…I'm glad we're doing this."

Byakuya went still as Torio smiled at him and left the dressing area to give the two men their privacy. Ichigo stood outside of the sectioned off piece of the room, placing a hand on the partition and smiling affectionately.

"I am glad we are doing this also," Byakuya answered, looking at his abdomen in the mirror.

"I know you said that clan leaders usually don't marry other leaders or their direct heirs, but…I couldn't have married anyone but you. I really do love you."

"I love you also," Byakuya replied, closing his eyes against the soft burning in the corners, then blinking to clear them.

"In just a second, they're going to come in here and drag me out to the gardens, but before they do, I just…Byakuya, I can't wait for what happens next. I know at first, I was kinda scared about the whole marriage and kids, settling down and making babies. And I admit I almost passed out when I learned that one of us _could have_ a kid. I know I freaked out a little at the idea of it being me. But I've had time to think about it, and what you said was right. We should have equal expectations for ourselves and each other. So…if it makes you happy, I will…at least think about having a kid, okay?"

"Ichigo, you don't have to…"

"I know," the Shiba heir chuckled, cutting him off, "but I think I want to. You said that I'm just young to be having all of this happen, and that is true, but…it's also true that I love you so much, I'm willing to grow up a little faster. I'll be a good husband and I will be a good father to our kids. I promise."

"I know you will," Byakuya answered, a rare, helpless smile overtaking his face, "Go on, now. They will be starting soon."

"Don't you run away now," Ichigo laughed, "I've waited forever for this."

"I have waited even longer."

Byakuya listened silently as Ichigo's footsteps faded away, leaving him alone, facing the mirror. He closed his eyes again, running his hand over his belly and breathing slowly, picking up the tiny traces of new life inside him.

 _Ichigo will be taken off his feet, and now it seems like he will greet this new child with open arms. I know he was unsure of himself before. It is a lot to ask of such a young man, who has so much responsibility already. But I cannot deny how much I want this…to live with him, to wake up beside him, to bring children to honor our clans, and to spend the rest of our lives giving our love to each other._

 _This is everything I could have asked for…_

Byakuya paused in his thoughts as a footstep sounded behind him. A strong arm wrapped around his waist and hot breath touched his instantly blushing earlobe.

"Ichigo!" he managed breathlessly, opening his eyes, "You cannot look at…"

Byakuya froze and a hard chill flew down his spine as his eyes found Aizen Sosuke's reflection in the mirror, looking into his eyes. He tried to speak, but a hand clapped over his mouth and he felt Aizen's hand touch his abdomen, placing a powerful seal over his spirit centers.

"Stop! Do not do this!" he gasped, struggling.

"Hold still," Aizen said icily, "and listen to me."

He paused, glowering at their reflection and increasing the weight of reiatsu that kept Byakuya from either moving or calling out for help.

"Sosuke…"

"Shut up!" the traitor warned him, "You know why I came here."

"I know you blame Ichigo for your capture, yes, but…"

"I do blame Ichigo," Aizen agreed, "but I also blame those old men, who used me to win their war and then, after I sacrificed the hogyoku to help them, kept me locked up in Muken anyway!"

"Can you really blame them?" Byakuya managed angrily, "There is not a bone in you that is not treacherous. There is nothing in you that approximates humanity. You are living, breathing evil!"

"Yes, yes I am," Aizen answered, giving the noble a wicked smile in the mirror, "But I am a man made monster, Byakuya. And I am done living with their hypocrisy."

"But you escaped," Byakuya objected, fervently trying to prolong the conversation so that rescue could come, "You are free. Why take the risk of coming back?"

"The risk of coming back?" Aizen repeated dismissively, "There is no risk in coming back. There is no one here who will stand up to me this time. They won't even know I have been here."

"What are you talking about? What do you intend to do? Sosuke, why did you really come here?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," Aizen hissed softly, "You know the real reason why I killed those councilors before, Byakuya. I know you do."

A shiver went through the noble's restrained body, but he gave no answer.

" _Matsuura Masashi_ ," Aizen breathed, setting Byakuya's heart pounding, "That man still hasn't paid for what he did to me. But he and all of the others will pay. Ichigo will pay. You will pay…beginning now, Byakuya."

"What are you going to do? Are you going to kill me? Ichigo will hunt you down! You know he will."

"No," Aizen said coldly, "Ichigo is not going to do _anything_. Ichigo is about to lose the most beautiful thing in his life, and he will not even know it is me taking it."

"You cannot…!"

"Oh, actually, I can," Aizen continued, "I have already been to Central 46."

Byakuya's breath caught.

"If you think that what I did there last time was horrible, you will be glad that you don't know what I've done to them this time. But they will not have any idea it was me. They will not know because of what is about to happen to all of the evidence…the evidence there…and the evidence of your abduction here!"

"M-my… _abduction_?"

"Yes, you, I am not going to kill. That would be too easy for you. You, I am taking away from Ichigo. From this day forward, each night when he lays down, that man is going to shed his tears for you, Byakuya. And while he suffers every day, mourning you, I will spend every day, living the life he so wanted with you. Every bit of devotion that you would have given him, you will bow down and give to me, Byakuya!"

"I will never…!"

Byakuya's words stopped, and his eyes rounded as Aizen's reiatsu rose ominously and the room they were in began to shake. Outside, shouts rose up and Byakuya heard Ichigo's voice frantically calling his name. He tried to answer, but his voice was swallowed up by a roar and a flash of intense heat that swelled around them. Byakuya stared wordlessly into the mirror in front of him, protected carefully by Aizen's power as the room suddenly exploded.

" _BYAKUYA_!" Ichigo screamed, running towards the blazing inferno that had been Byakuya's master suite.

Renji, Rukia and a darker skinned man with turquoise eyes grabbed wildly at him, holding him back from entering the raging inferno.

"Let go!" Ichigo sobbed, "I have to…!"

"It's too late!" Rukia cried, "Ichigo, stop!"

Byakuya's cousin ran forward, employing his power and sending a heavy blast of water in to quell the fire. Within moments, the blaze winked out and the three burst into what had been Byakuya's bedroom, only to find a motionless and badly burnt body, where the Kuchiki leader had been.

"Get Orihime!" Ichigo screamed.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Orihime called out, sending her shun shun rikka into action.

The others watched as a golden oval formed over Byakuya's burned body. Aizen dragged the real Byakuya out of the wreck of the bedroom and forced him to watch as Orihime's healing shield began to vibrate, then rattled ominously and broke apart. Ichigo's eyes filled with devastation as he stared at the human girl in dismay.

"Orihime…"

Orihime's large eyes filled with tears, and the group watched with stunned expressions as Byakuya's burned body shimmered for a moment, then dispersed into a shower of spirit particles.

"N-no!" Ichigo sobbed, "Wh-what happened, Orihime? Why…?"

"I don't know," Orihime whispered, tears rolling down her face, "S-something seemed to interfere. I don't know why. I am…so sorry, Ichigo."

Ichigo rested on his knees, looking down at the place where Byakuya's body had been, heavy sobs building up in his chest then bursting out in a long, hard howl. The guests stood solemnly with their heads contritely bowed and their hearts aching at the tormented sounds that continued to well up from inside him and escaped in hard, wrenching cries.

A short distance away, Aizen opened a garganta, using his illusions to hide it from the eyes of the others. He sent a heavy shock through Byakuya's body, dropping him, and swept him up, carrying him into the darkness and closing the pathway behind them. A satisfied smirk on his lips, he carried Byakuya into the blackness.

He emerged from the garganta in an area of Hueco Mundo that looked like barren sand dunes, but moved forward and opened the gates to a massive, hidden palace. He carried Byakuya through the gardens in the courtyard, then into the palace entrance, down the marble floored hallways to the master's bedroom. He laid Byakuya in his bed, slowly and meticulously restraining him with both kido and physical chains. When the noble was fully contained, he sent a flicker of reiatsu through him and watched as the noble's dark eyes opened and struggled to bring him into focus.

"Y-you!" he managed.

Aizen gave him a charming smile.

"Did you enjoy our wedding, Byakuya?" he asked, smirking.

"Our…wedding? There was no wedding!" Byakuya snapped, "I've been unconscious! I never consented to marrying you!"

"But you _will_ ," Aizen teased him, "You are going to do whatever I tell you to do, because I know exactly what you have to lose, if you don't."

What are you talking about?" Byakuya demanded, straining against his bonds, "Let me go, Sosuke! You cannot keep me here!"

"But I can," Aizen said sedately, "and believe me, I will."

He moved closer and sat down next to the noble, caressing his face, then sliding his hand downward. Byakuya tried to turn away, then froze as Aizen's hand stopped well short of his private areas, pausing instead on his slim belly.

"You see what I mean?" he said blithely, "I know the little secret you were about to reveal to Ichigo."

"Do not hurt out child, Sosuke!" Byakuya gasped, "This child is _innocent_!"

"Yes, I know that," Aizen answered, focusing on the area where the baby's reiatsu was gradually maturing, and it's funny that you said… _our_ child, isn't it?"

"You know this is Ichigo's child!" Byakuya exclaimed.

"No, it is not," his abductor insisted, leaning over him and glaring down into Byakuya's widened eyes, "Ichigo stole my freedom from me. He stole my happiness and the future I had planned, so I am going to do the same thing to him. From this moment, I am claiming his happiness…everything that he planned for the future…your love, your children… _everything_!"

Byakuya tried to look away as Aizen held up his returned sword.

"You remember Kyoka Suigetsu, don't you, Byakuya?" he asked, holding up the weapon, "It was sacrificed in my battle with Ichigo, but I managed to retrieve a shard from the battlefield where we fought, and I restored my zanpakuto. Go ahead, look. You have been hypnotized by this blade before. Fall under our spell again!"

Bound too tightly and forced to look, Byakuya couldn't escape the bright glow of the sword as its powers blossomed. The light seemed to sink down into his roiling core, doing battle with his mind as he struggled to keep hold of things the way he knew they had been. But slowly, and with each change painfully burning at his tortured mind, Ichigo's face and form was overwritten with Aizen's. His body shook with rage, but his own power remained locked under the seal and no amount of force could break his bonds. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he watched Ichigo slowly begin to fade away.

"S-stop!" he gasped, "Sosuke, stop!"

 _That was just the pain you deserved for your part in my incarceration_ , Aizen breathed in his ear, _but your suffering is done, Byakuya…at least as far as you will know it. Now, relax and sleep. When you wake, you will no longer ache for him. No, Ichigo will go from having been your brightest dream, to being your worst nightmare._

 _Sleep._

Byakuya crashed down into heavy blackness and ringing silence, his only motions the beating of his heart and the soft rise and fall of his chest. Aizen leaned over him, slowly drying away his tears and freeing his body from the unforgiving bonds. He walked to his closet and dressed in his finest suit, then walked back to the bed and climbed in, beside the unconscious man. He stroked Byakuya's cheek and bent slightly to bring their lips together, bringing his gradually awake.

Byakuya blinked slowly as the man in bed with him came into focus and smiled at him.

"Are you feeling all right, Bya?" he asked, "You lost consciousness for a few moments.

Byakuya started to speak, the frowned and touched his throat. His body stiffened and began to quiver in surprise and horror.

"Shh, it's all right," Aizen assured him, wrapping warm arms around him, "You've only forgotten the injuries that you received before…when that man attacked you. He is gone. I have taken you far away from him. I know you still can't speak, but you are safe here, and today is our wedding day. We were just married, Bya. Do you remember now?"

Byakuya shivered at the frustrating haze that seemed to confuse his memories.

 _I remember the things he said, but…something…_

"Come now, are you well enough to stand? The healer assured me that you are all right."

He submitted to standing, but gave Aizen a wary look.

"Ah, you wonder about your unconsciousness, of course. I promise you, everything is fine, my love. You lost consciousness because my invention worked! Just as you wished, I was able to make you pregnant with our child, Bya."

Byakuya strained his mind and was instantly stricken with powerful memories of desiring exactly as his husband said, and he smiled in response.

"Do you feel well enough to rejoin the party?" Aizen asked.

Byakuya considered for a moment, then nodded briefly. He felt Aizen's hand take his and allowed himself to be led out of the room. As they walked down the hallway, Aizen's power floated all around them, remaking the walls to hold portraits of the two of them, and of imagined families they came from. He conjured voices that drifted out of the ballroom at the end of the hallway, beckoning them as they headed towards it.

Byakuya inhaled in wonder as they entered the large ballroom that had been made over into the most breathtaking display he had ever seen. The walls were decorated in pink, white and blue, and tables lined one side, where a number of guests were eating. More guests filled the dance floor, moving gracefully in a classic waltz, while children scampered about and laughed together as they played on a nearby balcony, carefully watched over by several dutiful attendants.

"It is…wonderful, isn't it, Bya?" Aizen sighed, caressing his hand, "Would you like to dance?"

A sudden crashing sound made the music stop and sent guests skittering away as a man dressed in black landed a short distance away. Instantly, a sword appeared in Aizen's hand and he moved forward to challenge the ginger haired man.

"Ichigo!" he hissed.

For some reason, the name alone made Byakuya's heart quiver and race.

"I'm here for Bya!" Ichigo announced, "He is _mine_! I won't let you have him!"

"I think you are mistaken, Ichigo," Aizen said in a cool, unruffled tone, "Bya is in love with me. And, if you will remember, your last attempt to steal his affections had disastrous results."

He tilted Byakuya's head back, revealing horrid scarring on his pale throat.

"You almost killed him," Aizen said in a lower, angrier tone, "and with that, you sacrificed any right you had to him. Bya doesn't want to go back to you. We are married now, and there is nothing you can do!"

Ichigo's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"I can kill you and take him back!"

Byakuya recoiled in shock as the ginger haired man surged towards them and Aizen danced forward to clash with him. The scene around him tilted and dimmed ominously, and Byakuya's legs slowly gave way under him.

He woke some time later, laying, once again, in Aizen's bed and looking up at the white ceiling. A moment later, the bedroom door opened and Aizen entered the room, limping slightly and with one wrist bandaged.

"It's all right now," he said softly, "He's gone. I have…doubled the guards to protect you, but you will have to be very careful."

Aizen moved onto the bed and gathered Byakuya into his arms, holding him almost possessively and glaring down into his widened eyes.

"Bya, if he reaches you, he will kill you with our baby inside you. Neither of you will live. Do not leave the palace. Not ever! You are only safe from him within these walls. Do you understand?"

Byakuya touched his throat gently, blinking back tears as he remembered the cruel look on the ginger haired man's face and the angry words.

 _He's mine!_

"I am sorry," Aizen whispered, kissing his frowning lips and pressing up against him, "But it's okay now, Bya. I will take care of you. And in a few moments, you won't be thinking about him at all!"

Byakuya's mind spun in dizzying circles as Aizen lowered him onto his back and slowly removed the lovely wedding kimono he had been wearing. His hands slid over the lengths of perfect, pale flesh, treasuring as they moved and making Byakuya's thoughts crash chaotically together. He barely felt his husband's fingers prepare him, or when Aizen's body finally took possession of his. He blushed and panted fitfully, feeling oddly like a stranger in his own body, but unable to reason why. Within moments, Aizen's ministrations made coherent thought impossible, and he felt his body surrender to the wicked throbs of a powerful release. Aizen's blazing heat burned his insides and the room began to darken again.

 _What…is wrong with me?_

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Ichigo stood in the gardens, his face wearing a look of disbelief as the messenger in front of them panted out his message.

"It's t-true, sirs!" he exclaimed, "There were explosions all over the Seireitei, all on the lines that ran through here. We have had teams scouring all of the sites and so far, all we have discovered is that a protective seal failed and it looks like the cause of all of the explosions."

"How can that be?" Ichigo mused, "It took out the entire building here!"

"I heard that Central 46 is also gone," Renji added, scowling, "We may have thousands of people dead and you're standing here, fucking _telling_ me it was all some stupid _accident_?"

"It appears that way, sirs," the messenger confirmed, "Of course, there will be a larger investigation. The secret mobile corps is already working on it. Believe me, if it wasn't an accident, we will know soon."

Ichigo and Renji watched silently as the messenger flash stepped away.

"What do you think?" Renji asked, "You think that it's like he said? Just an accident?"

Ichigo fixed his eyes on Byakuya's destroyed bedroom, his mind seething.

"Someone sure wants us to believe it is," Ichigo answered softly, "But one way or another, whatever it takes, I'm going to find out the truth!"


	2. Beneath the Veil

**Chapter 2: Beneath the Veil**

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 **(Thanks so much to everyone reading and reviewing. I was going to get this out last night, but face planted on my computer and came awake again a few hours ago. I will try to have another chapter up soon! Aizen's birthday has past, but the Aizen chapters will continue as soon as I've gotten a little more sleep. Oh, and just a plot related note. Orihime will be playing a more interesting role than I had originally planned. Comments by Sariniste and a PM flurry with Aizenfan6969 resulted in something that will have a major effect on the story. I really think you'll like it. Anyway, thanks for reading and a good Memorial Day to all USA folks commemorating. Thank you to the people who protect our freedoms this and every day.)**

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Byakuya stood in the dressing area of Aizen Sosuke's bedroom, breathing slowly and repeating the facts of his life fervently, trying to make them feel more real as his attendant dressed him in a lovely red kimono, with sprays of purple flowers and an intricate hairpiece he wove into the mute consort's lovely raven colored hair. But while standing in such a place and being dressed by an attendant seemed familiar, he still felt a fogginess about what was happening.

 _Almost as though the lines around my reality have blurred, I feel lost. There are memories, but they just do not feel like they are mine. It makes no sense. Everyone here repeats just what Sosuke has told me. The healer he has me see every day encourages me to read and reread the diaries I wrote, and to sign with my attendant and Sosuke to begin to restore the connections with them. I am learning slowly, so there is not much I can say. I listen more than sign and everyone tells the same story. Ichigo is an enemy, an abusive lover who nearly killed me when he found out that I was having Sosuke's child, not his. I suppose that is why my mind still has flashes of Ichigo smiling and kissing me, why when I think of my wedding day, I see a white kimono with pink sakura and Ichigo is somewhere nearby, talking to me in a happy, relaxed tone…not at all like a jealous lover. Maybe that was before he found out about the child. I do not know._

He inhaled softly and closed his eyes as Aizen's arms slid around him from behind. He flinched as he saw in his mind's eye, his husband's arm curling around his waist and one hand covering his mouth.

"I am sorry," Aizen breathed into his ear, "I should know better than to approach you from behind, after what Ichigo put you through. That was insensitive of me."

 _It is fine_ , Byakuya signed, _I am fine_.

"Good," Aizen said, nuzzling his cheek affectionately, "I don't enjoy seeing you in pain, Bya. I want to make you happy."

He turned Byakuya to face him and signaled for the attendant to leave them. Byakuya felt a little shiver inside at being left alone with the powerful prince.

 _So often, it means he wants to have sex with me._

And immediately, his husband's hands slid beneath the folds of the expensive kimono. Byakuya touched one of Aizen's hands tentatively.

 _Miki only just dressed me_ , he objected, _I was about to walk in the gardens._

Aizen's smile was somehow both charming and intimidating.

"We will walk together in the gardens after we enjoy some time together," he said, untying and beginning to remove the expensive kimono.

 _He is prince of these lands_ , Byakuya reminded himself, _What Aizen-sama orders, I must obey._

But as much as his husband's ministrations brought his body pleasure, his mind continued to struggle to feel the connection between them. He gave in readily as Aizen's hands bared him and lowered him gently onto the bed. Byakuya's vision seemed to dim and his awareness shifted oddly. Aizen's face distorted and his brown hair began to lighten into a bright ginger. Byakuya stiffened and gasped reflexively, but the prince barely seemed to notice as he continued to prepare Byakuya's body for their imminent joining.

Byakuya felt Aizen's possessive eyes watching him closely, and he forced a smile and lifted his hips to intensify the pleasure his husband's touches were inflicting.

 _I want to please him. He has done so much for me. He has never done anything to hurt me. Why do I continue to feel so much turmoil in my feelings about him? Sosuke is kind. He is gentle. He never raises his voice._

 _He never has to._

Byakuya closed his eyes, breathing more quickly as he felt the heaviness of the air around them.

 _Everyone can feel how powerful Aizen-sama is._

Byakuya watched as the prince continued to plunder his slender, powerless body.

 _What does he see in a weak, useless thing like me?_

 _What did Ichigo see in me?_

 _Why would these men fight over me as they do?_

Answers fluttered away like spinning leaves on a heavy wind, as Aizen's powerful movements brought them to the edges of bliss. It was a relief to succumb to the mindlessness of release, to let go of his lingering doubts and to be one in thought and body with his husband. He laid quietly in the prince's strong arms after, not wanting to fall asleep for fear of his haunting dreams returning.

 _I worry that I am losing my mind._

He waited until the prince slept deeply enough that he could carefully exit the bed without waking him. He left his lovely kimono laid over a chair and wrapped himself in a warm yukata and robe, then walked out into the palace gardens. The fresher air and sweet scents of the flowers seemed to bring life back into his body and he let his worried thoughts fall away. Being one with nature gave him a feeling of being at home.

 _And the one power I do have is making things grow. Aizen-sama encourages me in this. I have turned this simple garden into a heartbreakingly beautiful display, he says._

It felt good to be able to contribute something.

 _My lack of any powers sometimes makes me feel insignificant, but adding beauty to my prince's home to help him relax and ease his tension is a useful pursuit. At least I can do something._

Byakuya felt a sudden tension rise in the air around him, and the prince suddenly appeared in the distance, his expression unusually dark and the power swelling around him oppressive. He could almost see the effort it took to rein that power in as he approached, and the expression on his face changed.

"What are you doing out here alone?" he asked, barely holding off the edge of anger that tried to invade his voice, "Bya, you know that our defenses aren't foolproof. It was foolish of you to take such chances with your safety."

 _My apologies, Aizen-sama_ , he answered, bowing his head respectfully, _I do not know what came over me. I was not meaning to be reckless. I was lured out by the sweetness of the flowers and the warmth of the sun. My thoughts were heavy. I was distracted. I will not let it happen again_.

"You have no idea the danger in letting down your guard," Aizen warned him, laying a warm hand on the little bump that was forming on Byakuya's abdomen, "There is more than just your own life at stake here."

 _I am aware_ , Byakuya assured him, _and I am sorry_.

"You are sorry?" the prince repeated, lifting Byakuya's chin so that their eyes met, "Then, I am sure that you won't mind doing something to ease the tension that your actions caused me?"

A blush roared over Byakuya's comely face as he realized what was being asked.

 _Not really asked, because I know it is a requirement._

He nodded dutifully and started to turn back into the bedroom. Aizen's touch on the back of his shoulder stopped him, and he looked at the prince in askance.

"Here," Aizen instructed him, "The gardens are more tranquil than inside."

The prince's dark, powerful eyes watched intently as Byakuya hesitated and a shiver went through his body before his head bowed again and he slowly lowered himself onto his knees. Aizen smiled contentedly, observing raptly as Byakuya treated his aroused nether region to a shockingly beautiful display of his affections.

 _No wonder Ichigo was so much in love with you. Once past your barriers, you are astonishingly sweet. I've only once encountered such loveliness._

Aizen's breaths deepened and his eyes drifted closed, his mind going back to the days before his fateful battle with Ichigo.

" _They said that you wanted to see me, Aizen-sama?" the human girl asked, her large eyes fixing on him questioningly._

" _I did," he affirmed, pouring himself a glass of red wine and sipping slowly as Orihime moved forward in slow steps._

 _She paused just short of his throne, her hands clasping in front of her as she waited for him to go on._

" _Your friends have arrived in Hueco Mundo."_

 _He felt the sharp incline in the girl's emotions and smiled at her._

" _It's fine. I knew they would come, of course."_

" _Are you going to hurt them?"_

 _He considered the question quietly for a moment._

" _I am not going to engage them directly," he answered finally, "however, I can affect the outcome of their interactions here."_

 _He nodded in the direction of a monitor in front of him that carefully followed the group of rescuers as they prepared to separate._

" _I am master of the hogyoku," he explained, "Each time one of them is threatened, I can impose my desires upon the hogyoku to vastly improve the odds of their survival."_

 _He savored a mouthful of the wine very slowly, watching Orihime's lovely face change as the first of her friends fell into the path of a dangerous enemy._

" _But you want something from me in return?" the girl asked warily._

" _You are perceptive," he complimented her, "I do want something from you, and each time you offer it to me, I will save one of your friends. I suppose you can hope that they don't cross the paths of too many of my allies. You can sit quietly and pray or you can take an action that will help them. The choice is yours, of course. What do you think, Orihime?"_

 _Orihime's eyes widened as Sado appeared on the screen, reeling as a heavy blow made blood explode from what looked to be a devastating wound. Aizen felt the emotions in the girl rise to the point of near panic, then shift as a flicker of determination came into her eyes._

" _You want to help him?" he asked._

" _I do," she said calmly, "But I won't hurt anyone with my power to do so."_

" _I understand," Aizen answered, smiling slyly, "Come here, then. Offer me something that is worthy of me saving that man's life and I will shift the odds in his favor."_

 _On the screen in front of them, Sado took another powerful hit and his legs began to shake beneath him. Orihime moved closer to the leader of the hollows, watching as he unveiled the hogyoku and caressed it lightly with his fingertip. His smile warmed as she knelt at his feet and bowed her head in submission. He slipped a hand under her chin, gazing down into her enchanting eyes as he bared his nether region._

" _The more dangerous the enemy, the more will be required to save them," he informed her, watching closely as his scent drifted across the girl's senses and she swayed slightly in reaction._

" _Why does Aizen-sama want this?" Orihime asked cautiously, "Why does he want this from me?"_

" _What other reason would there be?" he answered, "Loneliness. You are lonely too, aren't you? So, while your friends struggle to reach you, we can ease each other's loneliness and each of us gets something we desire, ne?"_

 _Orihime hesitated for a moment longer, then laid a slender hand on his bared thigh and leaned forward._

" _Yes, Aizen-sama."_

Aizen's brown eyes slid closed and he focused on that memory, letting it warm him inside as Byakuya's careful attentions slowly undid him.

 _I wonder if that girl ever thinks back, and if she does…_

… _does she miss me?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo stood alongside Rukia and Renji in the temporary office of the newly appointed grand councilor of Central 46. Kuchiki Nori's wise eyes met theirs apologetically as he explained to them the council's latest decision.

"I agree with you, Ichigo, that the investigation should have been more thorough. And I will continue to campaign for more attention on the matter, but you must understand, we have all been through a devastating loss. Thousands of lives ended in those blasts and we are still mourning and burying the dead. All of this will not bring back the lives that were lost."

"But they at least deserve justice!" Ichigo objected, "Byakuya was your leader. You know that he wouldn't have died in this kind of way if there wasn't some funny business involved somewhere. Nori, you _know_ that this wasn't just some damned _accident_! I know you do!"

"I admit I suspect it, but I don't know it, and that is the problem, my boy. I am a powerful man, even more powerful because of how many bright, talented noble leaders and officials we have lost. But even I cannot seem to find anything suggesting this was anything but a huge tragic accident. If someone did rig this blast, as we all suspect, then whoever it was, accomplished it flawlessly. There is only one man who has accomplished anything near that level of deception, and we had better hope that _he_ was not involved."

"Well, he certainly had reason to want to do something like that," Renji mused, "Central 46 and the noble families did screw him over pretty bad after the quincy war."

"Even Byakuya, who was no friend to Aizen, admitted to me that the council should have provisionally freed him."

"They were too afraid to let him go," Nori sighed, "Even without the hogyoku, he is plenty of trouble. And there was nothing stopping him from making another."

"He didn't want to make another," Ichigo said in a low, angry voice, "At least, when he joined forces with me to defeat Ywach, he said all he wanted was to be out of that place and to live quietly somewhere, maybe in the living world. The council couldn't just give him that quiet life. They had to double cross him and now, he could be involved in something that has devastated both Central 46 and the noble families."

"Knowing what we do about the noble families and Aizen, I'd say this definitely seems like an act of revenge," Rukia agreed.

"But how do you prove it?" Nori asked pointedly, "I understand what you are saying, and I do not disagree with you, but if you are going to convince the new council that Aizen is involved in this, you need to have more than a motive. You need to find something concrete, something that they can see and understand…something that resonates with them. I am afraid that bombarding them with theories is not going to get you very far with them. I am sorry, but that is the truth of things. I, myself, hope very much that you will not give up and that you will find something helpful. And Shiba Ichigo, I very much hope that pursuing justice for Byakuya will give you some kind of peace."

"It won't bring him back," Ichigo acknowledged, "but it will help me, and probably everyone else, sleep at night, knowing whoever did this is behind bars."

"I am sure that with your determination, you will find your answers, Shiba Ichigo. But for now, I must leave you. Rukia-chan and I must return to the Kuchiki council hall for Tetsuya's official appointment to leadership of the clan."

"How is Tetsuya handling things?" Ichigo asked, "He was pretty badly shaken up."

"He is doing very well, considering," Nori answered.

"Tetsuya knows that Nii-sama would have wanted him to take care of the family as his first priority. He's suffering a lot when he's not focused on that, but Ichigo's cousin, Shima Kurushimi, has been helping him settle into leadership. I think Tetsuya will be all right."

"That's good," Ichigo sighed, "He and Byakuya were really close."

"Would the two of you like to join us for the ceremony?" Nori invited them, "Both of you were close to Byakuya as well, and both of you are Tetsuya's friends as well. I think he would appreciate you being there."

"I'll do it. I'll go," Renji said, nodding.

"Me too," Ichigo added, "I know Tetsuya will be a good leader, although I was surprised at how quickly the elders approved his appointment."

"Well, Tetsuya won a lot of them over by saving so many lives in the quincy war. He has shown a true commitment to the protection of our people, and right now, we very much need that kind of devotion in our leader. It was not a difficult choice for most."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "Tetsuya is a great protector. I know it shook his confidence when Byakuya died, but…if Aizen is involved, I don't know that there's anyone who could have stopped him."

"But I think it is also true," Nori said quietly, "that if anyone can prove Aizen's involvement and bring him to justice, it will be you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to find himself alone in Aizen's bed, naked and his body sticky with the prince's seed. His head ached as he rolled over and looked at the time, sighing at how slowly it seemed to pass for him. He slipped out of bed and wrapped a yukata around himself, seeking the warmth of a long shower, then drying off slowly before exiting the bathroom and heading for the gardens again.

He was just entering the gardens, when a twinge of pain passed through his abdomen and a powerful feeling of nausea and dizziness assaulted him.

 _I have been having these spells for a few days now. I do not know why. It is different than the morning sickness. It is like a terrible aching that nothing soothes._

"Bya, are you all right?" Aizen asked, appearing suddenly in front of him.

 _I do not know_ , he signed quickly, _I feel…_

Byakuya sagged against Aizen's shoulder, panting softly and closing his eyes. He felt Aizen take him off his feet and carry him a short distance, to the infirmary. The healer leaned over him and Byakuya could barely make sense of the man's echoing voice.

"It is happening again," the healer informed the prince, "I told you before what he needs is the father's reiatsu. If he does not have that, then eventually, the baby will demand too much of his own reiatsu and will cause both their deaths. If you want Bya and the baby to survive, you must…"

"I am aware," Aizen's voice said, echoing almost painfully in Byakuya's throbbing head, "Well then, I suppose I must give him what he needs."

Byakuya strained to hear more, but found the blackness closing in again until everything went dark and quiet all around him.

 _He dreamed that he left his body and walked out of the palace, passing through the courtyard without drawing the attention of the guards. He walked out until the palace ended and a sea of sand appeared in front of him. A tear opened in the sky in front of him, and he passed through, coming down into what he knew to be his former lover's home in the Seireitei. He passed the Shiba estate guards without challenge and proceeded to Ichigo's room, where he found his former lover asleep, his handsome face still drenched in tears. He touched Ichigo's face and watched as the man's golden brown eyes opened and focused wearily on him._

" _Oh god! Please be real. If you're just a dream, I don't want to wake up!"_

 _Ichigo's hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him down into a long, desperate kiss._

" _Byakuya…" he mumbled, continuing to kiss him, "Byakuya, say something!"_

 _His lips moved, but no sound escaped him. Fresh tears ran down Ichigo's tormented face._

" _Okay," he half sobbed, "It's okay. If all you can do is be in my dreams, I want to be with you! Just stay with me, Byakuya. Please don't go away again! Just let me hold you."_

 _He met Byakuya lips for hard, passionate kisses, opening their clothing and commencing a hurried preparation. Byakuya gasped soundlessly, unsure why he wasn't afraid at all of the man who had attacked him, and why he was moving so easily with Ichigo, and enjoying his kisses and caresses in a way he couldn't enjoy his husband's. He felt the sensations of illness and pain fade away as they writhed heatedly together until their intense passions overwhelmed them. When Ichigo's seed and reiatsu had filled him inside, he caressed his former lover's face and kissed him more gently until he fell asleep again, then he swiftly escaped and hurried back home._

 _Aizen was waiting in their bedroom, with his sword drawn and raised, tip down, in front of him._

" _Shatter," he breathed softly, and everything around Byakuya faded into a odd, silent greyness._


End file.
